Case Reveals How Easily Patient Confidentiality Can Be Breached

Case Reveals How Easily Patient Confidentiality Can Be Breached
Jenna Peterson, a 20-year-old college student, made an appointment to be seen by Susan Grant, M.D.,
one of the partners at Mountainside Family Medicine Associates. Jenna had been seeing Dr. Grant for a
few years. Dr. Grant was also the long-time family practitioner for Jenna’s mom and older sister. On this
visit, Jenna said she would like to get a prescription for birth control pills. They discussed other
contraception options, as well as the risk and benefits of each and decided that “the pill” would be
Jenna’s best option. After reviewing Jenna’s medical history and performing a brief physical
examination, Dr. Grant gave Jenna a six-month prescription for Ortho-Novum 10/11, along with
educational materials on oral contraceptives. She told her to schedule a six-month follow-up
appointment over summer break. When Jenna checked out with the front office, she told the billing
office that she did NOT want this visit submitted to her mother’s insurance. Instead, she would pay for
the visit herself because she didn’t want her mother to know the reason for the visit. The billing clerk
said that she would send Jenna a bill because the practice’s billing system was undergoing a software
upgrade. Jenna asked that the bill be sent to her college address. About two weeks later, Mrs. Peterson
had a routine appointment with Dr. Grant. When she checked in, she stopped by the billing office and
asked the insurance clerk to check a notice of claim statement she recently received from her insurance
carrier about a visit by Jenna. Mrs. Peterson said, “I know Jenna hasn’t been here because she’s away at
school.” The clerk said she’d check on the claim and should have information for Mrs. Peterson by the
time she was done seeing Dr. Grant. Mrs. Peterson was then taken back to an exam room for her
appointment. While seeing Mrs. Peterson, Dr. Grant inquired about the Peterson family and mentioned
that “Jenna has really blossomed into a beautiful, intelligent young woman.” Mrs. Peterson thanked Dr.
Grant and asked, “When did you see Jenna?” Dr. Grant unthinkingly said, “Oh, a couple weeks ago when
she was in for her appointment.” When Mrs. Peterson questioned why Jenna had been seen, Dr. Grant
realized she had said too much. She hemmed and hawed a bit, and finally suggested that Mrs. Peterson
talk to Jenna. Despite Mrs. Peterson’s insistence that she had a right to know why Jenna was seen, Dr.
Grant refused to provide additional details. Mrs. Peterson was clearly angry with that response and
stormed out of the exam room. On her way out, she stopped at the billing office, and the insurance clerk
confirmed that Jenna was in for an appointment on the day in question and that the claim was correct.
REACTION IN THIS CASE
If I’m the Patient I want to feel confident that personal information they share with physicians or
staff will not become public knowledge or be released to third parties without their authorization and/or
consent. Without that assurance, a patient may be reluctant or unwilling to provide personal or sensitive
information that could be critical to his or her care.
VIOLATION OF BILL OF RIGTH OF THE CLIENT
RIGHT TO PRIVACY AND CONFIDENTIALITY - Because Jenna told the billing clerk that she didn’t want to
submit her visitation just to keep confidential to her mother why she visit at the hospital. And the
reason why she didn’t want to submit it because she would like to get a prescription for birth control
that she don’t want this visitation be reveal or to have a third parties. But her wishes about in this case
are violated in some act about Tort Law which is they reveal the information about Jenna to her Mother.
And also this violation will be destroy the privacy of the patient. The patient must has the right to
demand all the information, communication and records pertaining to her care of be treated as
confidential.
RECOMMENDATION
As a student nurse we are trained to be a professional in this field we need to know what are
the boundaries between the client and being a nurse or a staff of the hospital. We don’t have any rights
to tell the information that we have about our patient as long as we can we need to be quite and do our
duty as a professional nurse. And for the side of Dr. Grant he need to be more careful for the sake of his
patient because protecting patient confidentiality has long it is necessary it is much important to reveal
to anyone. And protecting patient confidentiality has long been recognized as inherently important to
the practice of medicine. And also it is critical to establishing trust and rapport, which are essential to a
strong communication between the physician/patient relationship. And based on Hippocrates Oath
“ Whatsoever things I see or hear concerning the life of men, in my attendance of the sick or even apart
there from, which ought not be noised abroad, I will keep silence thereon, counting such things to be as
sacred secrets. ” Oath of Hippocrates, 4th Century, B.C.E.
https://www.psicinsurance.com/webres/File/physicians/CaseStudy_PatientConfidentiality.pdf

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Case Reveals How Easily Patient Confidentiality Can Be Breached

REACTION IN THIS CASE

VIOLATION OF BILL OF RIGTH OF THE CLIENT

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